Women who are physically active at any point over their life have lower risk of cognitive impairment in late-life compared to those who are inactive, but teenage physical activity appears to be most important, according to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

There is growing evidence that people who are physically active in mid- and late life have lower chance of dementia and more minor forms of cognitive impairment in old age. Early life physical activity and the relative importance of physical activity at different ages has not been studied as much.

Researchers led by Laura Middleton, PhD, of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Canada, compared the physical activity at teenage, age 30, age 50, and late life against cognition of 9,344 women from Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Pennsylvania to investigate the effectiveness of activity at different life stages.

Of the participants, 15.5%, 29.7%, 28.1%, and 21.1% reported being physically inactive at teenage, at 30 years, at 50 years, and in late life respectively.

When physical activity measures for all four ages were entered into a single model and adjusted for variables such as age, education, marital status, diabetes, hypertension, depressive symptoms, smoking, and BMI, only teenage physical activity status remained significantly associated with cognitive performance in old age.

“Our study shows that women who are regularly physically active at any age have lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who are inactive but that being physically active at teenage is most important in preventing cognitive impairment,” said Middleton.

The researchers also found that women who were physically inactive as teenagers but became physically active at age 30 and age 50 had significantly reduced odds of cognitive impairment relative to those who remained physically inactive.

Middleton added, “As a result, to minimize the risk of dementia, physical activity should be encouraged from early life. Not to be without hope, people who were inactive at teenage can reduce their risk of cognitive impairment by becoming active in later life.”

There is evidence to suggest that physical activity has a positive effect on brain plasticity and cognition and in addition, physical activity reduces the rates and severity of vascular risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity, and type II diabetes, which are each associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment.

Once again, our platform, educated aging – physical, emotional, financial – comes into play. Look through our hundreds of post and spot the word exercise. It’s never to late to start a program.